SAINTS manager Nathan Jones confirmed he believes new signings Mislav Orsic and Charly Alcaraz are now ready to “handle starting berths in the team”. 

Both forward Orsic, who was Jones’s first signing of the window and joined from Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb, and Racing Club midfielder Alcaraz have made their club debuts as substitutes.

Orsic, 30, was introduced late during the 2-0 victory over Manchester City in the EFL Cup quarter-final while Alcaraz played 30 minutes in the 2-1 win at Everton last Saturday.

They have now had a full week without the interruption of a fixture to work with the group, which Jones says he has taken full advantage of, and the boss now believes they are up to speed.

Asked if he is beginning to see the duo take on what Saints want them to do, Jones told the Daily Echo: “Oh yeah, but they were last week.

“We bring people into the club now who fit specifically what we want to do so they already do that at their previous club, it’s just adapting it to the Southampton way of doing things.

“They’re both fit, they both want to do well but it’s about not putting them in too early. We couldn’t put Orsic straight in because of the rest he’d had after the World Cup,” Jones explained.

The Croatian international competed with his country up to the very end of the World Cup, scoring the winner in the third-place playoff versus Morocco just one day before the final.

“Charly was a bit of a different situation because he was mid-season and had been used to playing games,” Jones added. “But they’re both now up to speed and can handle starting berths in the team.”

Orsic and Alcaraz could make full debuts for Saints when they welcome Aston Villa to St Mary’s in the Premier League on Saturday, January 21 (3PM).

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